Subscribe

The independent news source for the University of Minnesota campus, now only a click away. Subscribe to the Minnesota Daily's e-newsletter for full sports coverage, updates from the newsroom, and a pick of the week's top features.

Minnesota Daily Newsletter

Donate to the Minnesota Daily!

The Minnesota Daily has been training student journalists and serving the University of Minnesota community since 1900. With your help, we will continue to produce award-winning journalism and provide excellent training for students in all areas of news production. We collect donations through GiveMN; please click below and donate today!

1/3/2017, 10:18pm

"I made a very difficult decision," Coyle says of decision to fire Tracy Claeys

AD Mark Coyle addressed the media Tuesday evening, explaining his decision to fire the head football coach.

A replacement for Claeys has not yet been named. Coyle said the school will “move quickly” to find a new head coach.

Along with Claeys, nearly all of his assistants also lost their jobs, Coyle said Tuesday.

“I made a very difficult decision,” Coyle said at a press conference Tuesday evening. “I thought it was in the best long-term interest of our football program to make this change now.”

Claeys had been with the program since Dec. 2010, joining as a defensive coordinator to former head coach Jerry Kill. He become the interim head coach after Kill resigned from the role due to health reasons in October of 2015.

Claeys — who had an 11-8 record during his time as head coach — is one of two coaches since 1971 to end his Gophers career with an above .500 record, joining Glen Mason (64-57, 1997-2006).

The Gophers football team finished the 2016 season with a 9-4 overall record, just the second time since 1905 the team had finished with nine or more wins.

“I saw a team that competed. I saw a team that gave up halftime leads, the same thing you all saw,” Coyle said. “It was just an overall evaluation of the program and moving forward, we want to find a leader who embraces what Minnesota is all about. That’s what our goal’s going to be.”